CORE D DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Molecular Virology Core is an essential component of the DUMC CFAR as a resource link between clinical and basic research. This core is comprised of a BSL-3 Virology Facility, a DNA Sequence Analysis Facility and a Molecular Construct Facility to serve the growing needs of Duke investigators involved in basic and clinical translational research on HIV and associated opportunistic Infections. The overall aims of the Molecular Virology Core are: 1. To facilitate the implementation and validation of molecular virology assays, DNA sequencing, and virologic assays in CFAR laboratories through shared resources in a cost efficient manner. 2. To provide state-of-the-art support for RNA interference analysis of the role of specific human genes in the replication and pathogenesis of HIV-1 or opportunistic infections. 3. To stimulate interdisciplinary collaborations within academia and industry to further improve the technology offered by the Core and to provide a solid resource on which collaborations can be fostered. 4. To provide education and training opportunities to CFAR scientists in existing and newly developed virologic methodologies. In order to achieve these aims, the Molecular Virology Core is committed to A.) maintaining a high quality of reagents and data through multiple QA/QC procedures and B.) establishing a virologic resource that is based on current and future scientific needs of CFAR investigators.